REVIEW: The Girl From Plainville Is Captivating From Start To Finish

Based on the Esquire article by Jesse Barron, The Girl from Plainville follows Conrad Henri Roy III (Colton Ryan), who after being declared missing by his parents, is found dead by suicide in his truck. Having no idea what might have prompted Conrad’s suicide, the police and Conrad’s parents begin investigating his death. It is upon this investigation where the group finds Michelle Carter (Elle Fanning) Conrad’s grieving girlfriend, as a person who interest when texts between the pair are discovered pointing to Carter having encouraged Conrad to commit suicide. The new Hulu show follows the events leading up to media storm in 2017 that captivated millions while also shedding light on the relationship the two teens had had those few years before.

It’s hard to watch a series based on events still fresh in the minds of many. Even though the events took place more than five years ago, it was truly the first of its kind that managed to take the world by storm. Was Michelle really an associate to Conrad’s tragic death or a young lady suffering from her own mental illness that was she couldn’t see the permanent end her words of insistence would bring? Showrunners Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus manage to navigate this grey area with expertise. Throughout the series, the pair never deviate from the facts or the pieces that were shared to the media from the original case. But what they do build upon, is the relationship between the characters. They managed to create a fully developed cast of characters that help bring to light the potential “why?” to all of this.

Elle Fanning and Colton Ryan are mesmerizing as the show’s two leads. Elle is utterly effortless as Michelle Carter. Her ability to navigate through the many emotions of this character in a blink of an eye once again proves her talents as an actor. Ryan, on the other hand, brings such an innocence to Conrad Roy III you can’t help but wonder how he is balancing this while also beautifully highlighting the character’s battle inner struggle with his mental illness.

Chloe Sevigny, Norbert Leo Butz, Cara Buono, and Kai Lennox step in as the two teens set of parents. Sevigny is especially great as Roy’s mother, Lynn. However, all four are given the challenging task of playing parents struggling with not only understanding their teenage children and the powers social media/technology have over them, but also their own grief. It’s a complex struggle that these four stars nail perfectly.

It can be tad bit uncomfortable watching this show at times. As the series progresses, those familiar with the story can’t help but remember that this story is about two real people, with families still processing their grief and trauma. You may, like me, begin to wonder why we are being entertained by their tragedy. It’s honestly a hard pill to swallow. However, if you can ignore the fact that this is based on a very true story, the series is much like the rest of Hulu’s True Crime line-up, engaging, compelling, and wonderfully acted.